The sky raged violently, thunder roaring as if racing the lightning—warning those beneath the vast heavens of an approaching storm.
On the 6th of July, year 2976, the countdown began.
Under the heavy rain, in a village far from sight, someone was running swiftly until he reached a certain house.
The man knocked hard on the door, wiping the streaming water from his face.
Man: "Caesar, it's me—Edmund! Caesar! Caesar!"
Inside the house – Bedroom
A couple lay sleeping beside each other.
The wife stirred in bed, bothered by the noises and commotion outside.
Sarah, sleepily: "What are those sounds?"
As she focused, she immediately recognized Edmund's voice.
Sarah, worried: "Edmund!"
She shook her deeply sleeping husband to wake him.
Sarah: "Caesar, wake up now! Caesar!"
Caesar, annoyed: "What is it, Sarah?"
Before she could answer, the continuous knocking and Edmund's desperate voice made Caesar realize something was wrong.
Caesar, alarmed: "Edmund?"
He jumped out of bed and rushed to the door to find out what was happening to his close friend, while Sarah went to the wardrobe and pulled out something to cover herself.
He opened the door quickly.
Caesar, anxious: "Edmund, what's wrong?"
Edmund, flustered: "Sophia... she's in labor."
Caesar, shocked: "What?"
Hearing their voices as she stepped out, Sarah spoke out loudly in disbelief.
Sarah: "How?! She's only in her seventh month!"
Edmund: "I don't know how, but it's happening. And I don't know how to help her. I'm scared to take her to the hospital—they might find out…"
Sarah: "I'll help her!"
She rushed out, running towards Edmund's house without waiting for her husband or his friend. She raced the wind to reach her closest friend, knowing this might be the most dangerous night of their lives—and none of them might survive it.
Caesar locked his door hastily, not even checking if it was properly secured. After all, they might not live to care about such details.
Edmund and Caesar ran after her, thankfully the house wasn't far and the streets were deserted due to the storm.
When they arrived at Edmund's house, they were all soaked to the bone.
Sarah wiped her face with her hand.
Sarah, worried: "Edmund, why is it so silent?"
Edmund, concerned: "I don't know."
He rushed inside, and both Sarah and Caesar followed.
The house was exactly as he had left it.
Edmund: "Everything looks the same…"
Sarah hurried toward the bedroom to find Sophia, while Edmund searched the other rooms.
She didn't see her in the bedroom and stepped out to check elsewhere, but a faint moan stopped her near the bed.
She quietly moved towards the sound and was shocked to see blood—and Sophia clutching the bed tightly, biting a piece of cloth.
Sarah, shocked: "Sophia!"
Sophia, in pain: "S-Sarah..."
Sarah, loudly: "I found her!"
Edmund and Caesar rushed in.
Sarah almost sat beside her, but noticed she was soaked. She quickly grabbed some of Sophia's clothes and changed, afraid of harming Sophia.
Edmund: "Sophia, my love... why are you muffling your screams?"
Sarah returned quickly.
Sarah: "Take some clothes and go outside. Both of you, now!"
Caesar: "Why?"
Sarah: "To change your clothes—go! Hurry!"
Edmund: "Alright!"
Sarah checked the windows to ensure they were tightly shut, then brought more pillows and blankets and helped adjust Sophia's position.
Edmund returned after changing.
Edmund: "Let me help you lift her."
Sarah: "Okay."
Sophia pulled the blankets beside her tightly.
Sophia, in pain: "Edmund... maybe if I give birth in silence, in secret, no one will know… mmm… and then we'll have a chance to escape with our son."
Edmund hugged her tightly.
Edmund: "Don't be afraid, Sophia. I'll protect you and our son with everything I have."
Sarah: "Edmund, please leave now and let me handle things here."
She added: "You and Caesar keep watch outside and take care of yourselves too, alright?"
Edmund: "Take care of her, Sarah."
Sarah, smiling: "Don't worry."
He kissed his wife's forehead and left the room.
Sweat poured from Sophia and her pain intensified.
Sarah: "Sophie, push! Push hard, dear!"
Sophia screamed with all her might.
Sophia: "Ahhhhhhh!"
Outside
Edmund didn't find Caesar in the house, which worried him. But that worry vanished when Caesar returned—with a small travel bag in his hand.
Edmund: "Caesar, where did you go? What's with the bag?"
Caesar: "We need to leave as soon as Sophia gives birth. I brought our travel documents—yours, Sarah's, and mine. You need to pack yours and Sophia's too, quickly."
Edmund, objecting: "Only Sophia and I will leave."
Caesar, angrily: "What? Are you crazy? I'm coming with you! I won't let you face those men alone!"
Edmund: "Yes, you will. I've dragged you into enough already…"
Caesar, cutting him off, sarcastically: "You think I'll listen to that nonsense? You didn't drag anyone into this. It's those criminals chasing your family for no clear reason."
He added, furious: "You really think I'll leave you to face all this alone? Never, Edmund. Never."
Edmund: "Are you insane? Things will never be the same again. I have a child now. They'll try to kill us—me and Sophia. If you're with us, they'll find and kill you too. So no. Don't come with us. Hide, stay away. But… if one day you meet my son—please, stay by his side."
His face clouded with sorrow.
Edmund: "I want my son to have someone beside him as he grows up. I don't want him to grow up alone… like I did. You know, in my family, every time a boy is born, those men appear—like they did the day I was born and killed my parents. But my parents gave me some of their memories at birth, so I saw them. They told me this would happen again and again. I saw it all when I turned twenty. I always wondered—is it because of this mark?"
Edmund touched his left shoulder, where a dragon curled around itself.
Edmund: "This mark is inherited in our family. I saw it on my father's shoulder too—in his memories. There's so much mystery about my family, our fate… and mine. I don't know. But fate, my friend, is something we can never escape. I don't want to drag you into this. Those men are incredibly powerful, and—"
He was interrupted by a loud scream from Sophia, followed by a baby's cry.
Edmund rushed in to see his newborn child and wife.
The baby was stunning—blonde hair and beautiful golden eyes.
Sarah: "Edmund, help me!"
He helped her wrap the baby tightly in a cotton blanket, his eyes full of worry for Sophia.
Sarah: "She passed out from exhaustion. I'll try to wake her. You take care of the baby."
He gently held the newborn in his arms.
Caesar, from outside: "Sarah, get Sophia ready. We must leave quickly!"
Edmund walked out carrying his baby, shouting:
Edmund: "Caes—"
Caesar, interrupting: "Don't waste time. Listen—none of those men are here. They must've been expecting the birth in two months. This early labor might be our lucky break. Let's go. The night will cover us."
He added with firmness:
Caesar: "I won't let you face this alone. Stop arguing."
He looked at the baby and smiled.
Caesar: "By God… your son is absolutely adorable. If my wife bears a daughter, I'm marrying her to this handsome one."
Sarah, after ensuring Sophia was okay, came out.
Her husband saw the distant look on her face and asked:
Caesar: "What's wrong, Sarah? Is everything okay? Are you feeling unwell?"
Sarah, confused: "Edmund…"
Edmund: "Yes?"
Sarah: "Did you look at your son's shoulder?"
Both he and Caesar looked puzzled. Edmund unwrapped the blanket from the baby's shoulder to reveal a dragon mark—with two heads.
Caesar, astonished: "What is that? What does it mean? Is that… a two-headed dragon?!"
Edmund: "I don't know what this means…"
Sarah, interjecting: "We're not staying here to guess, right? We need to leave now."
Caesar: "Yes, let's go. Edmund, go get Sophia. The car's ready."
Sarah: "Car?! We're using a car? Aren't we using our powers to escape?"
Caesar: "Of course not. They'll trace our energy. A car's safer."
Meanwhile, Edmund went to check on his wife, who had regained consciousness and was eagerly looking at his hands—longing to hold her child.
He gave her the baby.
Tears of joy filled her eyes.
Sophia: "See how beautiful our son is? Doesn't he look like me? But he got your eyes."
Sophia was a beautiful woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, aged 25.
Edmund was tall, with black hair and striking golden eyes, aged 27.
At first, he didn't want to marry Sophia, fearing she'd be killed with him—but she insisted and chased after him everywhere. Eventually, she told him she knew the truth—she'd overheard him talking to Caesar. Now, their fates were one.
Edmund hugged his wife and child with sorrow.
Edmund: "Didn't I tell you not to marry me? Then you wouldn't be afraid for your child… or your life. You shouldn't have done this. I shouldn't have agreed."
She smiled faintly.
Sophia: "What? My life? Edmund, I wouldn't have lived if you married someone else. I would've died—haha—if another woman married you, you annoying man."
She gazed lovingly at her son.
Sophia: "Isn't he beautiful, our little one? Our Jack."
Edmund, surprised: "Who? Jack… you named him Jack?"
Sophia: "Yes, his name is Jack Anderson, son of Edmund Anderson—my beloved husband."
Knock knock knock
Caesar: "Edmund, may we come in?"
Edmund, smiling: "Come in."
Caesar: "Congratulations, Sophia, on your baby!"
Sarah: "Congratulations, Sophie!"
Sophia: "Thank you both."
Sarah: "Have you named the baby?"
Sophia: "Yes, his name is Jack."
She stopped when she saw the mark on her baby's shoulder. Shocked, she looked at her husband.
Edmund: "Don't worry, Sophie. We'll figure out what this mark means. But for now, we have to leave. The sun is almost rising."
Edmund sealed the baby's powers so no one could sense him, then handed him to Caesar.
He packed their travel bag while Sarah helped Sophia get ready.
The three of them headed toward the door, but loud knocking froze them in place.
Sophia clutched her husband tightly, her eyes drawn to her child.
Caesar and Edmund looked at each other, breath caught in their chests.
Caesar held his wife protectively.
All their eyes awaited what came next.
To be continued…